


What a Bizarre Way to Say "I Like You"

by MonkeyMindScream



Series: Rare Pair Week 2019 [4]
Category: Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
Genre: F/M, I was THIS CLOSE to using this ship for the "Crack Pairing" day of the week, but then I thought of a better one for that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 18:37:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20430596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonkeyMindScream/pseuds/MonkeyMindScream
Summary: Day 4: Kiss- Local cat lady doesn't understand human(oid) displays of affection - Local kitten speaks Cassandra's Truth and is frustrated about it - Local dojo master clears up confusion -More news at 10:00.





	What a Bizarre Way to Say "I Like You"

**Author's Note:**

> You can once again thank projectaffectivity on tumblr for this. I would have never even considered this ship if she hadn't brought it up.

“Humans show they like each other by mashing their mouths together,” Mao announced, apropos nothing.

Neekeeta’s ear flicked, perplexed, then turned to face the kitten behind her. “Come again?”

“They mash their mouths together,” Mao repeated, eyes big. “That’s how they let their mates know they like ‘em. They don’t blink slow or rub faces or anything. They just use their mouths.”

Neekeeta looked at him a second more, ear flicking again, and then rolled her eyes and turned back to what she’d been doing. “Are you making up stories again, Mao?”

“They _do!_” he insisted, indignant. “Otto told me about it! He does it with his mate!”

Neekeeta laughed a little, rolling her eyes once more. It did absolutely nothing to lessen the kitten’s irritation, but she couldn’t help it. Mao _adored_ Otto, and considering Otto had almost immediately nicknamed him “Little Guy” upon meeting, it was definitely mutual. Mao took everything Otto said as gospel, but he didn’t always fact-check to make sure he entirely understood what Otto was telling him.

“Otto’s a _monkey_, Mao, not a human. You can’t assume what he does with his mate is what they do with theirs.”

“He _lives _with ‘em, though! And I’m _not_ ‘assuming,’ he told me! They do it too! It’s called ‘kissing’!”

Neekeeta turned back to him, trying to gauge his expression. He certainly _seemed_ serious, but then if he’d misunderstood to begin with, he _would _be, wouldn’t he?

“Is there any particular reason it’s so important that you let me know this?” she asked rather than further debating the likelihood of the aforementioned phenomenon.

Mao suddenly offered a very sly smile, irritation melting off his face. “I just thought you’d like to know. I thought it might come in _handy_ later.” And then he let his eyes drift to his right.

Neekeeta sighed, rolling her eyes a third time as a blush crept under her fur. Master Offay’s dojo stood off towards the side he’d glanced at, and he was out in the training yard grappling with a wooden dummy.

She and Offay had responded to the Hyperforce’s signal for help when their home was invaded by the corrupted undead, and had both grown very close over the course of the ensuing war. Upon learning that Offay didn’t have a home to return to thanks to the corruption of the Dark One (Neekeeta sympathized to an almost painful degree), she shyly suggested he come back to Kathuri with her, and to her delight, he’d agreed. He’d since set up a dojo, and with the Hyperforce having recently reignited the warrior spirits in her village he found he had no shortage of new students.

They weren’t… _together_, per se. Nothing had been made official yet, in any case. They hadn’t even properly confessed they were interested in each other. They both _knew_, as did – apparently – everyone around them, it was just a matter of figuring out how to properly move things along. Mao (for whatever reason) had taken particular interest in “helping.”

“Offay isn’t human either, Mao,” she said. “I’m sure he’d be just as confused as anyone else would be if I tried pressing my_ mouth_ against him, regardless of what humans do. _If _that’s what humans do.”

“It _is!” _Mao exclaimed, throwing his paws up in frustration. He looked back at Offay, then back to Neekeeta defiantly. “I’ll _prove _it!” And with that he began stomping towards the dojo.

“Master Offaaay!” he called before Neekeeta could tell him not to pester him. “People ‘kiss’ to show other people they like them, right?”

Without missing a beat: “I’m flattered by your interest, little one, but I’m afraid you’re too young for me.”

“Ewwwww, no!!” Mao exclaimed, affronted (Neekeeta giggled in the background). “Otto told me it was a thing and _Neekeeta–_” he gestured angrily in her direction– “doesn’t believe me! So just tell me, is it a thing or not?”

Offay halted what he was doing now to look down at the kitten. “It is, indeed,” he said, “a ‘thing.’” As Mao rounded on Neekeeta triumphantly, he went on, “Quite a common one, too. Yours is actually the first species I’ve personally met who don’t partake in it.” As he resumed his stance to continue his training, he amended, “I’m sure you are not the _only_ species, the universe is vast after all, but as I’ve said, you’re the first _I’ve_ encountered.”

Mao marched back to Neekeeta victoriously. “_See?_” he asked, proudly. “I _told_ you.” And with that he scampered off to attend to other affairs of his.

Neekeeta watched him go, shaking her head slightly, and now fully perplexed she moved to pester Offay herself.

“Is what you said true?” she asked. “Or were you just playing a joke on Mao?”

“Of course it’s true,” he grunted, now back to practicing with the dummy. “Why would I lie to the boy?”

“Well…” Neekeeta rolled her eyes heavenward. “’Offay humor,’ and all.”

Offay had to stop mid-motion to laugh.

“It sounds very unsanitary,” she went on.

Offay shrugged. “Your people _lick_ to show affection. Is it really that different?”

Neekeeta tilted her head, pondering, ears flattened in contemplation. “Point conceded, to a degree, but we lick each other’s _fur_, not – eugh – our _mouths. _What if someone moved wrong we accidentally licked _inside_ their mouth? It’d be awful.”

Offay gave her a pitying smile. Neekeeta squealed in disgust once she put together the reason for it.

_“Inside_ each other’s mouths??_ Intentionally?!_”

Offay nodded, mouth still quirked upwards. Neekeeta shuddered so hard it turned into a little dance of revulsion.

“They don’t have to involve that level of intensity. Often times they’re actually very chaste.” Then suddenly, “Come here.”

Neekeeta blinked, but before she could ask any questions, Offay had closed the space between them and… _“kissed” _her on the nose.

“See?” he asked, smiling.

Neekeeta was certain she must look like a puffball. It felt like every strand of fur she had was standing on end. She also feared she couldn’t have wiped the smile from her face if she’d scrubbed it with a rag.

“Yes,” she said dreamily, ears drooping with content. “I think I’m starting to understand.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to insert whomever you ship with Otto for his referenced "mate" btw.


End file.
